{"title":"Occurrence of methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in healthy pets in Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.","authors":"Rezheen Fatah Abdulrahman","doi":"10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i6.17","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Worldwide, Methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) is a major nosocomial pathogen responsible for various infections in humans and animals.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of MRSA isolates in healthy pets, specifically cats and dogs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, swab samples were collected from 135 healthy pets, including 100 cats and 35 dogs. The samples were analyzed using standard microbiology and molecular methods.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed the detection of MRSA in nostril isolates at a total rate of 23.2% (13/56) from both cats and dogs through the detection <i>mecA</i> gene. The prevalence rate was different in cats and dogs and it was 22% (9/41) and 27% (4/15), respectively. The same isolates were cefoxitin-positive and oxacillin-resistant. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis of partial <i>mecA</i> sequences revealed 100% similarity with <i>mecA</i> genes from human <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> isolates. All 13 <i>mecA</i> sequences exhibited identical results. Two partial <i>mecA</i> sequences from this study have been deposited in GenBank under accession numbers PQ881807 and PQ881808. The MRSA isolates only displayed staphylococcal cassette chromosome types I and IV (a and b). The results also showed a high prevalence of certain virulence factors, such as hemolysins, across the isolates and multidrug-resistant MRSA isolates among both cats and dogs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study is the first to confirm the occurrence of MRSA among Duhok pets. The findings suggest the role of healthy animals as reservoirs of multidrug-resistant MRSA and highlight the potential threat of zoonotic transmission of MRSA between pets and humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":19531,"journal":{"name":"Open Veterinary Journal","volume":"15 6","pages":"2449-2456"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12451141/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Open Veterinary Journal","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i6.17","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/6/30 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Worldwide, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major nosocomial pathogen responsible for various infections in humans and animals.
Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of MRSA isolates in healthy pets, specifically cats and dogs.
Methods: In this study, swab samples were collected from 135 healthy pets, including 100 cats and 35 dogs. The samples were analyzed using standard microbiology and molecular methods.
Results: The results showed the detection of MRSA in nostril isolates at a total rate of 23.2% (13/56) from both cats and dogs through the detection mecA gene. The prevalence rate was different in cats and dogs and it was 22% (9/41) and 27% (4/15), respectively. The same isolates were cefoxitin-positive and oxacillin-resistant. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis of partial mecA sequences revealed 100% similarity with mecA genes from human Staphylococcus aureus isolates. All 13 mecA sequences exhibited identical results. Two partial mecA sequences from this study have been deposited in GenBank under accession numbers PQ881807 and PQ881808. The MRSA isolates only displayed staphylococcal cassette chromosome types I and IV (a and b). The results also showed a high prevalence of certain virulence factors, such as hemolysins, across the isolates and multidrug-resistant MRSA isolates among both cats and dogs.
Conclusion: This study is the first to confirm the occurrence of MRSA among Duhok pets. The findings suggest the role of healthy animals as reservoirs of multidrug-resistant MRSA and highlight the potential threat of zoonotic transmission of MRSA between pets and humans.
背景：在世界范围内，耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）是导致人类和动物各种感染的主要医院病原体。目的：本研究旨在确定健康宠物，特别是猫和狗的MRSA分离株的流行率和分子特征。方法：选取健康宠物135只，其中猫100只，狗35只。采用标准微生物学和分子方法对样品进行分析。结果：猫和狗鼻孔分离株通过mecA基因检测MRSA的总检出率为23.2%（13/56）。猫和狗的患病率不同，分别为22%（9/41）和27%（4/15）。相同的分离株头孢西林阳性且耐奥西林。基于Basic Local Alignment Search Tool对部分mecA序列进行分析，发现与人金黄色葡萄球菌分离株mecA基因的相似性为100%。所有13个mecA序列显示相同的结果。本研究的两个mecA部分序列已存入GenBank，登录号为PQ881807和PQ881808。MRSA分离株仅显示葡萄球菌盒型染色体I型和IV型（a和b）。结果还显示，某些毒力因子，如溶血素，在猫和狗的分离株和多重耐药MRSA分离株中都有很高的流行率。结论：本研究首次证实杜霍克宠物存在MRSA。研究结果表明，健康动物是耐多药MRSA的宿主，并强调了MRSA在宠物和人类之间人畜共患传播的潜在威胁。
期刊介绍：
Open Veterinary Journal is a peer-reviewed international open access online and printed journal that publishes high-quality original research articles. reviews, short communications and case reports dedicated to all aspects of veterinary sciences and its related subjects. Research areas include the following: Infectious diseases of zoonotic/food-borne importance, applied biochemistry, parasitology, endocrinology, microbiology, immunology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, epidemiology, molecular biology, immunogenetics, surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, oncology and animal reproduction. All papers are peer-reviewed. Moreover, with the presence of well-qualified group of international referees, the process of publication will be done meticulously and to the highest standards.
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